<p>RALEIGH, N.C. -- Talk show pioneer Phil Donahue heard boos and catcalls Saturday during a politically tinged commencement address at North Carolina State University.</p>
<p>Donahue's speech was peppered with his political opinions. It was met with boos that rained down like confetti.</p>

Saturday, May 17, 2003 5:45PM EDT Donahue gets cheers, boos at N.C. State commencement The Associated Press RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Talk show pioneer Phil Donahue got catcalls and cheers Saturday for a politically tinged commencement address at North Carolina State University. A handful of the nearly 4,000 new N.C. State graduates walked out of the ceremony at the RBC Center when Donahue began listing "what liberals believe." Donahue said constitutional rights and privileges have been eroded and he made a backhanded reference to the war in Iraq. "Only Congress can declare war," he said to some cheers and boos,...

Eureka College, June 7, 1957 I'm sure you all must know the depth of my gratitude for this honor you have done me. What you can't know is how great is my feeling of unworthiness. For some 25 years I have nursed a feeling of guilt about the degree given me here upon the occasion of my own graduation. It was, I feel, more honorary than earned and for all these years I have carefully refrained from referring to myself as a "student" here. My very instinct is to mumble a modest "thanks" and sit down, but that retreat is...

<p>"He identifies with them in a way that's really special. He conveys his concern in a way that is really touching."</p>
<p>Former President Bill Clinton has been popular among African Americans in Mississippi, and his appearance Sunday is expected to give a boost to one of the state's historically black colleges.</p>

New London — The White House has confirmed that President Bush will be the speaker at the 122nd commencement exercises for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy on May 21. “This is a special class because it's the first one to graduate under the Department of Homeland Security, so we're very pleased that the president will be here,” said Cmdr.-select Glenn M. Sulmasy. “It's perfect timing.” In addition, he noted, “the president and his family have been big supporters of the Coast Guard, so it's particularly pleasing to have the president here.” Sulmasy said the last-minute confirmation would not mean any...

Tucked behind a Target store on 500 acres of shaded grounds, little Tougaloo College has survived for 134 years in a relatively obscure corner of academia. While beloved by its 800-member student body and a hardcore group of dedicated alumni, Tougaloo has struggled with declining enrollment and a chronic funding shortage. But Tougaloo President Beverly Hogan and other backers of the school are hoping a commencement address from former President Bill Clinton on Sunday and a Democratic presidential debate sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus will bring the troubled campus some positive attention. Clinton, one of the world's most sought-after...

By Kate Carter kcarter@onlineathens.com U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas will address UGA's law school graduation Saturday. When U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas delivers the graduation speech at the University of Georgia School of Law Saturday, it will mark the culmination of a four-month controversy that has piqued emotions and, in some cases, pitted faculty against students. Nearly four months ago, David Shipley, dean of the law school, announced that Thomas, as a native Georgian and a member of the nation's highest court, would deliver the 2003 commencement address. Shipley and the three students who chose Thomas were criticized...

'I love this city,' former president tells crowd The crowd rose to its feet, cheered and clapped as former President Bill Clinton walked side-by-side with Syracuse University Chancellor Kenneth ''Buzz'' Shaw across the Carrier Dome floor Sunday. Shaw and Clinton walked with their arms around each other's backs, chatting and laughing, as they neared the stage set up for the university's 149th commencement. Instead of the traditional mortar board, Clinton wore a black Nike baseball-style hat like the ones worn by the SU Orangemen after they won the 2003 NCAA basketball championship. He waved to the crowd and shook hands...

Clinton tells graduating Syracuse students to participate in life Sunday May 11, 2003 By WILLIAM KATES Associated Press Writer SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) Former President Bill Clinton on Sunday told nearly 5,400 graduating Syracuse University students to ignore the headlines and focus on the trend lines while taking an active role in public affairs. ``The trend line is, we are growing more interdependent. We cannot escape each other,'' Clinton said, as more than 19,600 parents and well-wishers looked on inside the Carrier Dome at the school's 149th commencement. ``We reap enormous benefits and assume greater risks. Your job, as a citizen...

In case you missed it, US President George W. Bush gave a pathbreaking speech at the University of South Carolina on Friday, a speech that should not be obscured by the minutiae of Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit here today. Let's look at it with the care it deserves. "In an age of global terror and weapons of mass destruction, what happens in the Middle East greatly matters to America. The bitterness of that region can bring violence and suffering to our own cities. The advance of freedom and peace in the Middle East would drain this bitterness and...

USC's spring commencement Friday had all the pomp and circumstance, but it also had the president of the United States talking about Cocky and pushing for Middle East peace. George W. Bush's visit to the Carolina Center, just the second time USC's commencement has featured a sitting president, isn't something most of the 1,200 graduates and their families are likely to forget. Bush arrived to a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 10,000, while a school orchestra played "Hail to the Chief." He went on to deliver a 25-minute speech tightly focused on America's Middle East policy. He...

After hearing the "honorable" William Winter speak today at Ole Miss' graduation, I got a little scared about what people value in our country. It seems that the fashonable thing to say now is that we should all serve our country, "pay back" our state as Winter put it. The problem is that this service is approaching a requirement in society. How many of you have been denied a job, position, acceptance because you didn't have enough "community service" or "volunteer work" from helping at an inner-city day care to any form of help for the poor or racial reconciliation? I...

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thank you, all. President Sorensen and Governor Sanford; members of the South Carolina congressional delegation and state officials; members of faculty, trustees, the families, distinguished guests. And members of the Class of 2003. (Applause.) Thank you for the warm welcome to this great state and to this fine university. I'm honored to be with you on graduation day as you all become proud alumni of the University of South Carolina. I work every day with a distinguished graduate of USC -- I brought him along this afternoon: White House Chief of Staff, Andrew...

(Columbia) May 9, 2003 - Some students plan to protest President Bush's commencement speech at the University of South Carolina Friday afternoon by skipping graduation. Approximately 1200 students are expected to walk on Friday. Protests will be only be allowed in a designated area at Lincoln and Greene Streets across the street from the Carolina Center's main entrance. Senior David Byer says he plans to accept a copy of the US Constitution at a Friday afternoon sidewalk ceremony outside the Koger Center for the Arts a short distance away from the Carolina Center, where President Bush will delivery the address...

"Higher education is not my priority" -George W. Bush, San Antonio Express-News, March 22, 1998 Join Us in a non-violent, peaceful protest against Bush This Friday, May 9th, 2:00 PM The Carolina Center, 801 Lincoln St. Corner of Greene and Lincoln,Columbia, SC Bring signs (no sticks), Bring energy, Wear a cap and gown if you have one. Bush is officially coming to town on Friday, May 9, at 3pm, to the Carolina Center. See the USC website for details. http://uscnews.sc.edu/comm129.html. AWARDING BUSH AN HONORARY DOCTOR OF LAWS DEGREE IS A TRAVESTY. Oxford University, similarly petitioned to award Margaret Thatcher an...

(CNSNews.com) - A petition objecting to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as the University of Georgia Law School commencement speaker this month claims Thomas is "unworthy" because of his opinion in the court's December 2000 decision that ended the recount of Florida's votes in the last presidential election. UGA law professor Donald Wilkes said 11 faculty members and 50 students have signed the petition objecting to Thomas and the "stealthy" selection method for choosing a commencement speaker. "Justice Thomas's participation in the scandalous Bush v. Gore decision is, without more, sufficient to render him unworthy of being invited to...

Students object to Thomas as speaker By MELANIE HORTON Published , May 02, 2003, 12:00:01 PM EDT The controversy surrounding the School of Law's commencement speaker has been reignited in recent weeks as the graduation date draws near. Last week, a petition was circulated around the law school questioning the methods used to choose Clarence Thomas, a U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Georgia native, as the commencement speaker, said Donald Wilkes, a law school professor. "The petition was circulated by the students," he said. "It was signed by 11 law professors last Tuesday, and it was signed by 50 students...

To the Tunxis Community College Class of 2002, I offer my congratulations. I'd also like to commend those who have supported you along the way: your parents, your husbands and wives, and children, and friends, and teachers, and loan officers, and therapists, and astrologers and bartenders. In researching commencement speeches, I learned they should be profound. That there are several key themes, words and phrases you should try to work in. And that it is essential to include quotes from famous people. For example, you want to talk a lot about the future, and vision, and limitless possibilities, and overcoming...